'The most remarkable things ascribed to E. How, were, that the
sufferers complained of her as the cause of their distresses, and
they would fall down when she looked on them and were raised again on
the touch of her hand. There was testimony, also, that the shape of
her gave trouble to people nine or ten years ago. There were
apparitions or ghosts testified by some of the present sufferers,
which ghosts affirmed that this How had murdered them. J. How, brother
to the husband of the prisoner, testified, that having refused to
accompany her to her examination, as she desired, immediately some of
his cattle were bewitched to death, leaping three or four feet high,
squeaking, falling, and dying at once; and going to cut off an ear,
the hand wherein the knife was held, was taken very numb and painful,
and so remained for several days, and he suspected the prisoner as the
cause of it. N. Abbot testified, that unusual and mischievous
accidents would befall his cattle whenever he had any difference with
her. Once in particular, she wished his ox choked, and within a little
while that ox was choked with a turnip in his throat. A woman, on some
difference with How, was bewitched, and she died charging her of
having a hand in her death. Many people had their barrels of beer
unaccountably mischiefed, spoiled, and spilt, upon displeasing her.
One testified, that they once and again lost great quantities of drink
out of their vessels, in such a manner as they could ascribe it to
nothing but witchcraft. And also that How once gave her some apples,
and when she had eaten them, she was taken with a very strange kind of
maze, so that she knew not what she said or did. There was likewise a
cluster of depositions that one J. Cummings refused to lend his mare
to the husband of the said How; the mare was within a day or two taken
in a strange condition. She seemed abused and bruised as if she had
been running over the rocks, and was marked where the bridle went, as
if burnt with a red hot bridle. On using a pipe of tobacco for the
cure of the beast, a blue flame issued out of her which took hold of
her hair and not only spread and burnt on her, but it also flew
upwards towards the roof of the barn and like to have set the barn on
fire, and the mare died very suddenly. F. Lane being hired by the
husband of How to get him a parcel of posts and rails, Lane hired J.
Pearly to assist him. The prisoner told Lane that the posts and rails
would not do because Pearly helped him, but if he had gotten them
alone they might have done well enough. When How came to receive his
posts and rails, on taking them up by the ends, they, though good and
sound, yet unaccountably broke off, so that Lane had to get twenty or
thirty more. And this prisoner being informed of it, said she told him
so before, because Pearly helped about them.'